Teen bragged on Snapchat about 'running a kid over' with his Dodge Ram because he thought 14-year-old on minibike was someone else: Police

Left: The fishy conveyance (Bay City Department of Public Safety). Right: Bentley Burkhart (GoFundMe).

A Michigan teen who allegedly bragged astir hitting a 14-year-old riding a minibike faces felony charges.

Owen Wheeler, 19, was charged with assault with intent to execution successful transportation with a hit-and-run incidental that injured 14-year-old Bentley Burkhart. According to the Bay City Department of Public Safety, police responded to reports astir a pickup motortruck striking idiosyncratic who was riding a minibike successful Bay City, Michigan, astatine 4:45 p.m. connected Oct. 22. Officers believed that the operator ran into the teen "intentionally."

According to tribunal documents obtained by section quality outlet MLive.com, constabulary arrived to find a assemblage of witnesses surrounding Bentley, who was sitting connected a parkland bench.

Police said Bentley was complaining of severe backmost pain and occupation breathing. The teen was taken to a hospital, wherever helium was diagnosed with 2 spinal compression fractures. He has since been released from the hospital. Bentley's parent told MLive.com that her lad had bought his minibike conscionable 2 days earlier the crash.

At the scene, constabulary said, witnesses shared photos of the suspect's vehicle, a greenish 1997 Dodge Ram, which allegedly fled the country aft hitting Bentley. According to the tribunal documents, the witnesses said the motortruck appeared to beryllium aiming for the teenager. Police said surveillance footage captured the operator — whom they person since identified arsenic Wheeler — hanging retired of the beforehand model and shouting astatine Bentley.

A witnesser who recorded the alleged incidental connected his telephone told constabulary that Wheeler was "screaming profanities" astatine Bentley, adding, "The motortruck was moving beauteous quick, similar helium wanted to conscionable tally him over."

Police said the motortruck was recovered with its licence plates missing.

According to tribunal documents, constabulary began receiving tips that Wheeler was "bragging astir moving a kid implicit connected Snapchat." After initially seeming to instrumentality recognition for the crash, Wheeler past posted that his motortruck had been stolen and was utilized to "hit the kid," tribunal documents say.

Police said that arsenic the probe into the alleged hit-and-run progressed, officials obtained surveillance footage that showed 3 radical getting retired of the suspect's vehicle. Police asked the nationalist for help, and a nationalist information serviceman identified 1 of the radical arsenic a 16-year-old boy. A 20-year-old antheral was identified utilizing facial recognition, and constabulary asked him to travel successful for questioning.

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Police said the 20-year-old identified Wheeler arsenic the driver. According to tribunal documents, Wheeler picked up the different 2 passengers successful his Dodge Ram. When Wheeler saw Bentley, the 20-year-old said, Wheeler "became enraged … similar flipping a switch." The 20-year-old told constabulary that Wheeler believed the teen riding the minibike was idiosyncratic different than Bentley, saying, "As soon arsenic helium saw him it was contiguous rage."

According to tribunal documents, the 20-year-old said aft Wheeler drove distant from the scene, they abandoned the motortruck and were picked up by Wheeler's girlfriend.

The 20-year-old told constabulary that helium was "in daze aft [the crash] happened." When asked if Wheeler had discussed the alleged incidental aft it happened, the witnesser said, "The collision did not look to impact [him], helium was conscionable concentrating connected the road."

According to online jailhouse records, Wheeler is successful custody astatine the Bay County Jail. His adjacent tribunal quality was not instantly available.

The station Teen bragged connected Snapchat astir 'running a kid over' with his Dodge Ram due to the fact that helium thought 14-year-old connected minibike was idiosyncratic else: Police archetypal appeared connected Law & Crime.